Colosseo
by Waterscape
Summary: The minute Lucy woke up to see names and levels floating above people's heads, she knew that something had gone terribly wrong in the universe. Drabble series, LucyHarem/LucyEveryone, The Gamer!Inspired. *Slightly Slow Start*
1. New Game

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 **Genre: Adventure, Humor, Romance, **

**Pairings: LucyxEveryone. Yes. You read that right.**

 **Warning: Canon gets shot to hell. Ages are a bit mixed up (Slightly younger Laxus, for one), and events go a bit differently. Domino effect is serious business.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE!: ACCEPTING DRABBLES TO BE ADDED TO THE STORY! If you have an idea that you want to see happen, just pop it into the review section or P.M me with the details. Also, beautifully unbeta'd.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys enjoy my first story.**

* * *

 **New Game**

* * *

Lucy blinked.

The nine year old had a _little_ bit of a problem.

"Lady Lucy," her maid bustled around the expanse of her room, her boots _click-clacking_ of the laminated surface, "we need to hurry – Lord Junelle is coming soon, and the master wants you to look presentable."

Now, Lord Junelle's appearance wasn't the _major_ issue (though, in little Lucy's eyes, it wasn't much better); rather, the problem was the odd, glowing _thing_ floating over her head, dark letters hovering unnoticed above.

 **[Spetto Ivy, Level 12, Mundane]**

Lucy, trying her best to _not_ stare at the letters – and, in typical child fashion, failing miserably – nodded absentmindedly. Eyes firmly stuck to the space above Spetto's head, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was something _terribly_ wrong with the universe, and with a faint excuse she dashed out the room; making a beeline for the bathroom.

The Heartfilia heiress ran to look in the mirror, wondering if she would see her own name. Sure enough, in bright golden letters and in that one, fancy font, was her own name.

 **[Lucy Heartfilia, Level 7, Celestial]**

Suffice to say, Lucy was _not_ amused by this strange turn of events.

* * *

 **Making Friends with the Help**

* * *

Slightly faint, Lucy followed behind her maid, wondering faintly just _what_ was going on with the world. Her dress, a baby blue sundress, was clutched tightly in her small hands; she couldn't help but be slightly afraid of what had happened to her perfectly normal world. Everywhere she looked, strange letters took shape above, _names_ and _levels_ and all sorts of _weird_ things labelled by this _weird_ power _._

"Lady Lucy, are you okay?" Spetto must have took notice of her perturbed expression, she realized.

"Of course I am, Spetto," Lucy smiled brightly, masking her unease, "and what have I said about calling me Lady Lucy; we're friends aren't we?"

The maid frowned. "That would be highly improper, Lady Lucy. If your father were to hear me call you that…"

"Then we'll just have to make sure he doesn't hear then," she interrupted, scowling at the mention of her father, "after all, what he doesn't know can't hurt him."

The maid just smiled. "Of course, Lady Lucy."

The young noble just pouted, opening her mouth to say something back…

 **Congratulations! You have created a bond with** ** _The Staff_** **! Your** ** _Staff_** **bond is now level 1!**

…only to be rudely interrupted by an _ear-deafening_ screech. With a yelp, she tumbled backwards, landing on her backside gracelessly, whimpering from the pain in both her _ears_ and her _butt._ She would have to do _something_ about that voice – there was only so much that she could take, and hearing _that_ every day would be the end of her.

"Milady, are you okay?" Spetto loomed over the downed child, smothering her like a mother hen.

The Heartfilia scion toyed with the thought of pretending to be injured – she _so_ did not want to deal with the Junelle's pig of a child – but she couldn't do that to the kind maid (and her father, but she quickly beat that thought down).

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Lucy batted away the hands, struggling to her foot, "just…just a spider, that's all."

The maid didn't look convinced, but thankfully, she dropped the subject; leading her to the place that she was to meet with both her father, and the Junelles.

She frowned at that.

Lucy wondered if she would regret not pretending to have a broken ankle.

* * *

 **Level Up**

* * *

Lucy _definitely_ regretted not lying about a broken ankle.

They were currently outside, lounging in the Heartfilia Gardens, enjoying the fresh spring air and the light aroma of flowers. The sun was high up in the sky, the cerulean blue canvas dotted with splotches of translucent ivory, and all-in-all it was the perfect day to relax and enjoy the sun.

 **[Sawaar Junelle, Level 10, Mundane]**

 **[Jude Heartfilia, Level 10, Mundane]**

Her father, and his associate, were deep in conversation; most likely working on some business deal of some sort. They each had a cold, frosty glass of alcohol by their side, and Lucy could tell that they were engrossed in conversation.

It was the sort of day she could enjoy. If it wasn't for the Junelle family's presence.

Sawaar Junelle's hell spawn was sat nearby, staring with dark, beady eyes at her; Lucy was doing her best to pretend that the other child just did not exist, but nothing she tried worked. She had tried being polite, making small talk, asking him about how he was and what he liked to do; making small talk, like her father wanted her to.

In response, all she got was a dead stare.

After that, she had tried a different tactic – asking him if he wanted to play with her. She tossed out as many games that she could think of; _tiggie it, tic-tac-toe,_ she even offered to play _eye-spy_ with him (though, considering his current lack of speech, she should have known that avenue would fail.)

He had just carried on staring, goofy smile on his face.

Finally, she had just decided to just plain ignore the child, already fed up with his behaviour. Instead she had taken to just scouting the grounds, taking note of all the names she could see; her only salvation from boredom.

 **[Saweet Junelle, Level 1, Mundane]**

The words were taunting her, laughing at her failure, merrily flickering above the unresponsive boys pig like face. She could imagine them mocking her on her failure, laughing at her inability to make friends, taunting her on how much of a failure she was.

Filled with an irrational anger, she punched the other kid in the face, _hard._

Lucy just blinked, anger draining from her features as she watched the unresponsive child twitch on the grass.

"Congratulations!" Lucy jumped out of her skin, horrified as the realization of what she had done settled in. "You have levelled up! Open the _menu_ to distribute stat points!"

 _Ehh?_ She couldn't help but think, before tentatively whispering menu.

As she did, the world seemed to freeze. Birds in the sky stopped moving, their wings frozen in mid flap. Flowers were left at unnatural angles as the wind disappeared, leaves stunned in mid-air, and Lucy just stared in wonder as the whole world was _paralyzed._

A pitch black screen ( _the colour of the night sky_ , her awed mind whispered) popped into existence in front of her. She tried to reach out a finger to touch the options, but felt that she too was frozen, her body unresponsive.

Legs, arms, feet – all paralyzed, muscles locked tight, movement impossible for the young girl. She struggled, panic setting in, unable to stop the tears. Liquid tickled down her cheeks, fear pounding her heart, thoughts of _"why can't I move"_ and " _please help me"_ and _"Mama"_ tumbling and dancing and crashing together.

The child wondered if this was how she would die, frozen in a place that time had forgotten.

Taking a deep breathe, she calmed her heart as much as she could, before reading the options in front of her. _Items, Status, Skills, Equipment, Quest Log, Party_ and _Options_ stared back, each option a different colour, a sequence of _white-red-blue-green-yellow-pink-orange._

Underneath them all, a blinking option called to her, a golden _Level-Up_ catching her eye.

Ignoring the temptation to jump straight to the _Level-Up_ option, Lucy muttered 'items' underneath her breath, a separate screen appearing as she did so.

Two separate sub-categories stared her right in the face; _Consumables_ and _Key Items._ Bypassing the offer for a tutorial (she may be a child, but she wasn't stupid – it didn't take a genius to know that _Consumables_ were, well, _consumables,_ and _Key Items_ were important things), she took note that she _literally_ had nothing, before moving on over to the _Key Items_ section.

As she thought, there was nothing there.

Quickly backtracking, she moved onto _Status._ Slightly unnerved by the portrait of herself (though the vain part of her preened as she realised how good she looked in the image), she glimpsed at the small paragraph beside her name, dismissing the blurb of information. Why would she need to know her own history when she lived through it?

She ignored the pang of sorrow that went through her when she read her mother's name, escaping the status menu.

Next thing that she had to check was _Skills;_ the option she was quite interested in. Eagerly, she waited for the menu to load, anticipating what would surely be _hundreds_ of skills. After all, she was the _stunning_ Lucy Heartfilia. Why wouldn't she have tonnes of skills?

She was mildly disappointed to find that she had only three skills.

[ _Heartfilia Blood,_ innate ability, level MAX]

She supposed that it was self-explanatory, but she repeated the name anyway, just in case something different happened.

It didn't, so she went to a different skill.

[ _Celestial Spirit Magic,_ innate ability, Level 3]

Curious, Lucy tried to find out more about it.

[ _Celestial Spirit Magic_ gives one the ability to summon Celestial Spirits; manifestations of the stars in the sky. Able to crack open the doors between dimensions, capable Celestial Spirit Mages are able to summon multiple Spirits at once, lock and unlock The Gates, and even take on aspects of their spirits. This skill can be improved through two methods – one, through constant summoning of spirits, and two, through the collection of Golden Keys; each key requiring a minimum of 20 wisdom to summon. Collect all Thirteen Keys, and you have the power of miracles.]

The Mage in question couldn't help but think back to the Golden Keys in her room, Aquarius and Cancer, her makeshift family. Her beautiful, wonderful family. She couldn't help but smile, and wondered how she would be able to make that family _grow._

Zoldeo just _wouldn't_ give back Capricorn, the big meanie, saying she was _too young,_ and she has to be able to summon one first.

The final skill was the oddest one, if only for the fact that she had no idea what it was.

[ _?,_ innate ability, Level ?]

She made a mental note to come back to it later; after all, she had all the time in the world, but at this minute she really, really wanted to access that _Level-Up_ option – it was just, so, _exciting._

If her body could move, it would be vibrating.

 **Congratulations, Lucy Heartfilia has reached Level Eight.**

 **Lucy Heartfilia has five status points to assign.**

 **Lucy Heartfilia may select one new ability.**

Lucy's brow furrowed, the young girl deep in thought, considering those words carefully.

 **Choose one of the following Abilities:**

 **Heart of a Spirit Mage**

 **Soul of a Spirit Mage**

 **Will of a Spirit Mage**

 **Body of a Spirit Mage**

"…I'm sensing a trend here," Lucy muttered. "Alright, what do these abilities do?"

[ _Heart of a Spirit Mage,_ innate ability. This ability, once gained, allows a Celestial Spirit Mage to reach out to the hearts of his or her Keys; allowing them to gain a greater understanding of what they want. What would take years of bonding can be done in weeks with this ability, allowing the wizard to quickly grow bonds with their Spirits. Levels up through communication with spirits.]

[ _Soul of a Spirit Mage,_ innate ability. This ability gifts the Celestial Mage with an almost sonar-like radar; enabling them to track down any nearby keys with ease. They would find that keys would fall into their possession a lot quicker than they would otherwise, and they would find that keys will appear in the strangest places. Levels up with the number of keys, with each successive level up increasing range.]

[ _Will of a Spirit Mage,_ active ability. Once a week, this ability allows you to force open the gates to the Spirit Realm, allowing you to summon an extra spirit than you would be able to naturally. However, this can cause heavy strain on the body, and repeated use can cripple a Celestial Mages magic; leading to magic disintegration. Level up not applicable.]

[ _Body of a Spirit Mage,_ innate ability. This ability influences the amount of magic required to unlock a gate, allowing a Spirit to pass through with greater ease. What would usually require a minimum of 20 Wisdom now only requires 15, thus lowering the magical strain using a key would have on the physical body. Levels up through repeated summoning, with each level increasing magical endurance.]

Lucy didn't even have to think; she knew immediately what she wanted. Whilst all the other options seemed really good, they just didn't have the same allure as this one did. She could feel that she was close to being able to summon one of them, but she just wasn't strong enough yet. Her magic wasn't ready for that strain, too young and weak for her to be able to support a Golden Key. And if this ability made it so that she would be able to summon them...

It had been far too long since she had seen them, almost a year, and she desperately missed them.

The choice was easy.

"I want 'Body of a Spirit Mage' please."

 **You have selected Body of a Spirit Mage. Are you sure?**

"Yes." It was the surest thing in her young life.

 **Congratulations! You have obtained the ability ' _Body of a Spirit Mage',_ lowering the magical requirements of summoning a Celestial Spirit.**

"Thank you," just because it was a disembodied voice, didn't mean the heiress had forgotten her manners. Even if this weird bizarre world she had fallen into scared her to death sometimes, she was slowly getting used to it – and she couldn't help but feel thankful for it giving her the ability to see her friends again.

 **Would you like to distribute stat points?**

"Yes please." The remaining options faded away, leaving an entirely new screen in its place. "Strength, Defence, Endurance, Intelligence, Potency, Wisdom and Luck…could you give me more information, please?"

That helpful text box appeared once again.

[ _Strength,_ as the name implies, refers to physical strength; its counterpart is that of _Potency,_ which influences the strength of your magical attacks. _Defence_ controls how much damage attacks can do to you, whilst _Endurance_ relates to how much damage you can take before falling unconscious. _Agility_ is your body's ability to run and dodge, increasing your success rate with dodging and how fast you can move. _Intelligence_ controls how well you do with puzzles and tests, and things referring to academia, whilst _Wisdom_ influences the level of control you have over your own magic. _Luck,_ of course, is how lucky you are.]

At the moment, her stats were:

 **Strength: 2**

 **Defence: 1**

 **Endurance: 1**

 **Agility: 6**

 **Intelligence: 9**

 **Potency: 12**

 **Wisdom: 14**

 **Luck: 7**

So, she was a glass cannon: a magical nuke essentially. Decent with magic, terrible physical attacks, and so physically weak that she would probably be blown away by a stiff breeze.

It could be worse. She could be Sawaar Junelle.

After putting away three points into _W_ _isdom_ , one point into _Potency_ , and one point into _Intelligence_ she closed the menu – avidly staring as the whole world came back to life. It was as if the world had never been frozen, everything going back to the way it should be.

Only now, there was a slight glow above Saweet Junelle's borderline comatose form, a golden question mark floating cautiously in mid-air. Approaching the question mark, it grew in shape, the question mark spreading obscenely as it turned into words.

[Quest, _Bury the Body,_ Rank E]

[Details: Don't get into trouble for hitting Saweet Junelle; tell Duke Junelle that his child has hurt himself.]

[Rewards: 50exp, +1 bond with Duke Sawaar, Papa]

She quickly accepted, scurrying past the body, towards the two talking adults. They were deeply engrossed with their conversation, talking about a new railway line, so she had to wait for a lull in the conversation before interrupting.

"Pardon me," Lucy intervened, "Father, Duke Sawaar, but Saweet has hurt himself. I feel terrible about interrupting, but it would be for the best if you see to him."

The Duke excused himself with a scowl, muttering something like 'not again', heading towards his twitching child.

Father and daughter just stared at each other coolly.

[Quest Complete!]

 **Congratulations! Your _Jude Heartfilia_ bond has levelled up! Your _Jude Heartfilia_ bond is now level 5!**

 **Congratulations! You have created a bond with _Sawaar Junelle!_ Your _Sawaar Junelle_ bond is now level 1!**

…how was this her life?

* * *

 **The First Gate**

* * *

When she scampered into the library, she almost couldn't contain her excitement.

The Junelle's had left soon after, the Duke apologising for his child's behaviour (making her wonder if violence really was the answer – it certainly seemed to solve her problems), and it was time for her Magic lessons.

Bero, an old, famous Celestial Mage was her teacher, and she couldn't ask for a better person to train her. He may be old, so very, very old, but he was still so amazing. He was allowed his eccentricities, given that he was positively _ancient,_ and whilst his clothing was unusual (he dressed like _Bumblebore,_ from her _Happy Nutter_ books: his robes the colour of the rainbow, and an old witch hat covering the remnants of his silver hair) he definitely knew his stuff.

 **[Bero Altairis, Level 78]**

Lucy froze, wondering if her eyes were working. _Level 78 –_ just how strong was her teacher?

"Lucy, my dear!" Bero smiled, unaware of his student's shock. "I hope you are ready, because today we can do it!"

She shook off her shock – this was Bero, it didn't matter how strong he was, he was still her Bero.

"Grandpa," Lucy's hand never strayed from the golden keys at her waist, wondering what had got her teacher in a good mood. "What's the special occasion?"

"Special Occasion?" He echoed theatrically, hand placed conspicuously over a wooden box, his small hand resting on the smooth surface. "Why, my dear, today's the day you get your first key!"

That got her to release her keys. "Pardon?" Eyes wide, her brain finally made the link, staring at the suspicious box in between them. "Is that…"

Bero nodded, grandfatherly smile on his face as he pushed the container towards her. Unable to contain herself, she pulled open the wooden box, the lid pushed back on its hinges from the force she exerted. There, resting on a bed of velvet, was a silver, almost black key – the hilt in the shape of a cross, coloured a deep emerald green. It looked almost like a normal key, free from the elaborate embellishments of the Golden Keys.

It was the Key of the Southern Cross, the knowledge forced into her head from countless hours of study.

"Crux," Bero stated fondly, "he was the very first spirit that I ever summoned. Hopefully, he'll serve you just as well as he did me."

"I…I can't take this from you." Lucy returned the key. "I can't just take your friend from you."

"Nonsense." he waved off the concerns easily. "You're the only one I'd trust the old man with anyway. Now go on, summon him, you know what to say."

"But…" her concerns were ignored, as the elderly man grabbed her hand and placed the key into it, her grip tightening subconsciously.

"You know what to say," once he was sure that she wouldn't try to return the key, he leant back in his seat, "I don't have to tell you again, do I?"

[Quest, _Opening Heavenly Gates,_ Rank C]

[Details: Open the First Gate]

[Rewards: 150exp, Key of the Southern Cross, +3 bond with Crux, Bero]

She didn't answer. She didn't need to.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!" With every word, a brilliant gold circle bloomed into existence below her feet, growing and growing and _growing_ in intensity until it was almost blinding.

Bero was oddly silent, eyes reminiscent, observing as the magic _danced_ in front of his eyes.

Books flipped open, dusty tomes long forgotten flicking through pages rapidly. Dust, disturbed, billowed around her as she used her magic for the first time. Lights coalesced, oscillating through the colours of the stars, until it reached its crescendo.

"The Gate of the Southern Cross, I open Thee! Crux!"

The seal _burned_ like the sun one last time, before fading away. She didn't know when she closed her eyes, but when she opened her eyes, her gaze drank in the spirit in front of her.

She did it. She was now, truly, a Celestial Mage.

 **[Crux, Level 15, Celestial]**

"Bero, lad, was it you that summoned me," his voice, rough and gravelly with disuse, sounded like music to the young girl's ears. "It's been a while since you last used that much magic, losing control in your old age, young friend?"

Bero laughed. "No, old friend. I'm not your summoner anymore."

"Oh," the Spirit's eyes actually opened, "so you finally found me a new summoner, then? Where is the little bugger, I can't see them."

"Crux?" Lucy was too happy to care that her first spirit was an old man – she was one step closer to summoning one of her mother's spirits.

"Ahh, so it was _you_ who was using all that magic," his eyes may be closed, but Lucy could still feel the old man appraising her. "Need a bit of control, but you'll _shine._ "

"Oh?" the elderly Celestial Mage grinned. "Does that mean you'll make a contract with her?"

"Of course." Crux sniffed. "With my guidance, I'm certain that she'll easily surpass any other mage. Now, where was I…?"

Wordlessly, Bero slid across a hot pink journal and a pen, winking. Lucy winked back.

"Ahh! Now I remember…"

And so, they finalized their contract (her very first contract – she was so happy). In the end, Crux was available every day, 9 A.M to 5 P.M, every day but Sunday, which was his off day.

* * *

[Quest Complete!]

 **Congratulations! Your** ** _Bero Altairis_** **bond has levelled up! Your** ** _Bero Altairis_** **bond is now level 10!**

 **Congratulations! You have created a bond with** ** _Crux, the Southern Cross!_** **Your** ** _Crux, the Southern Cross_** **bond is now level 3!**

 **Congratulations! You have obtained the** ** _Key of the Southern Cross!_**

 **Congratulations! Your Celestial Spirit Magic is now level 5.**

* * *

 **Cooking...?**

* * *

Lucy soon realised that skills could come from the most _bizarre_ of things.

"Lady Lucy…" Spetto trailed off, blinking owlishly at the strange, amorphous blob currently flailing on a pan. "What is that?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure Spetto…" She just watched as it jiggled, unable to figure out how such a thing was possible, forgetting to reprimand the maid for being so formal. "But it's strangely…hypnotic."

And it really was. The milky-white blob was undulating, stretching out and waving its strange, stubby arm-like appendages. It drew the attention of all the staff, as they observed the spectacle, entranced by the spectacle.

"We should keep it." Lucy announced suddenly, before Spetto could even suggest throwing it away.

"But…" Spetto tried to change her mind, was stopped in her tracks.

"We're keeping it." She announced once more, firm in her decision.

[Passive Skill: _Cooking_ has been created!]

[Through trials and tribulations, Lucy has managed to harness her inner chef to form this skill. Levels up through eating food, and creating food. Level: -100]

Lucy didn't know whether or not to be horrified that her skills were so low, or proud at the formation of a new ability.

The stove was turned off by Spetto, and the squishy blob trembled as Lucy's small hands descended on the creation. It was oddly cool, despite the heat of the pan, and Lucy could imagine it purring as she stroked it.

It disappeared into her inventory, somehow fading from view without anyone batting an eye.

She was promptly kicked out the kitchen, before she could create anymore monstrosities.

* * *

When she went to bed that night, tired and aching, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself.

Her letter to her mother was different tonight, more vibrant and full of life.

Tomorrow…Tomorrow she'd summon Aquarius.

But for now, she'll sleep.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Complete.**

 **Wow. Wrote this in 4 hours. When I should have been revising for exams. Go me? Also, Fanfiction hates U.K English. The amount of red I see is crazy.**

 **Anyway, remember: if you have any ideas you want me to write, just send me them in a P.M/Review and I'll get started. Any questions, do the same. Plus, when do you think I should bring in Fairy Tail? I know it should be soon, but how soon?**

 **Next time, for certain! Aquarius! Spirits! Blob Monster!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you for the next one.**

 **Edit1: Added Agility, cleaned some errors.**


	2. Aquarius

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 **Genre: Adventure, Humor, Romance,**

 **Pairings: LucyxEveryone. Yes. You read that right.**

 **Warning: Canon gets shot to hell. Ages are a bit mixed up (Slightly younger Laxus, for one), and events go a bit differently. Domino effect is serious business.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE!: ACCEPTING DRABBLES TO BE ADDED TO THE STORY! If you have an idea that you want to see happen, just pop it into the review section or P.M me with the details - I'm running out of things to put in the Konzern, so any scene ideas will be gratefully accepted. Also, beautifully unbeta'd, again.**

 **Special thanks to everyone that Favorite'd, Followed and Review'd - and once again, if you have questions, feel free to ask them in a P.M or a Review; I'll reply ASAP.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Aquarius**

* * *

The minute the young heiress woke up, she dashed out of her room – completely and utterly uncaring of her current state of dress, a _cute_ (the appropriate amount of stress required, of course, as little Lucy refused to be anything but _adorable)_ pair of silk pyjamas that she had picked out herself – keychain in hand, fully prepared to summon Aquarius.

She _knew,_ in that way that you just _know_ something, that today was the day. Her magic was completely refreshed, so much so that when she checked her status screen she found that she had a brand new buff, and her mind was prepared. _Optimum Sleep,_ though she didn't quite know what "Optimum" meant, made it so that she go extra experience from just…well…doing things, and also made it so that her magic recovery was increased by 50%.

"Hi, Spetto," cheerful, Lucy smiled brightly at her maid, before speeding past her to the gates, "Bye, Spetto."

The maid in question frowned, opening her mouth as if to reprimand her for running in the halls, before pausing as the speeding child completely sped passed her. Lucy Heartfilia, for the first time in a _very_ long time, sounded truly happy; so she quelled the urge to berate the child, to shout after her to be quiet.

"Lady Lucy…" Unbidden, a soft smile crossed her face, as she watched the running heiress turn the corner.

 **Congratulations, your** _ **The Staff**_ **bond has levelled up! Your** _ **The Staff**_ **bond is now level 2!**

Lucy, elated as she was, barely paid attention to the voice. She was going to see Aquarius, play with her, swim with her. They were going to see each other again, and play with each other, and she'll tell her everything that had happened and all the new things she got and anything else that came to mind. They were going to be together again, her, and her spirits.

Aquarius never liked to be summoned – her Mama called her a _Tsundere,_ but she had no idea what that meant, though it must be good if Aquarius was one so she wants to be one too – and she wasn't at all happy about being summoned from a _glass_ of water. Said that it always felt a bit to _constricting,_ as if she was being _trapped_ , so Lucy wanted to get out the mansion as soon as possible, and out into the surrounding plot of land.

The gardens was always one of her favourite places to go, filled with many happy memories. Her and her Mama would always go out there, along with Papa when he wasn't busy with work, and they'd sit underneath the shade and have a nice picnic. They'd play games together, and have fun, and sometimes when the weather was hot they'd splash around in the pond there.

Mama always cheated though, and summoned Aquarius to make a _big_ wave, and despite how much the spirit would huff and puff Lucy could tell that she didn't mind.

So that's why she wanted to summon her there, in that pond. And maybe they'd be able to play together again.

That thought spurned her on even further, making her go even faster. Once outside, she paused, the exertion finally catching up to the child as she leant against the wall.

[ _Endurance_ has gained a point, your _Endurance_ is now **2** ]

[ _Agility_ has gained a point, your _Agility_ is now **7** ]

That was just the icing on the cake. Her stats were increasing, in particular her weakest ones – she still winced slightly when she remembered how terrible her physical stats were – and she would soon be seeing Aquarius again.

Truly, today was a good day.

Hand firmly clutching her keys, she took deep breathes as she walked down the garden path. Gravel crunched underfoot, the small stones warm under the morning sun, and despite the discomfort she tried to centre herself. Her magic, small as it was, hummed excitedly; she could see it in her mind's eye, oscillating madly, and _golden_ like the very stars in the sky. She clutched it tightly, letting its warmth diffuse through her body and her muscles, as she prepared herself for the summoning.

The path to the pond was deeply engraved in her memory, the same old flowers (starbursts of _pink_ and _purple_ ) decorating the walkway. She felt lonely walking down this path, reminding her why she abandoned it after her Mama _went away_. It always felt weird, like someone was supposed to be with her, so it had been a very long time since she had last seen it.

The pond was a part of a small, annexed piece of land – yet that doesn't mean it was no less beautiful. Like the rest of the estate, it was lovingly taken care of; her Papa having spent large amounts of money (the number of jewels were beyond her, but she knew there was a lot of money being spent) on gardeners, and it showed.

Lucy inhaled, and exhaled.

She was ready.

[Quest, _The Water Bearer's Gate,_ Rank C]

[Details: Summon Aquarius, and make a contract]

[Rewards: 450exp, _The Water Bearer's Will,_ +1 bond with Aquarius]

She accepted.

Soundless, her feet treaded grass, the fine blades cushioning her footfalls. Her reflection – eyes bright, smile wide – distorted, ripples gliding across the crystalline surface of the pond, as the Golden Key broke through the surface. The golden shine of the key refracted in the water, beams of golden illuminating outward, motes of golden light dancing as she channelled her magic to the key.

Lucy imagined a door. Tall, gold, a massive, terrifying structure. She imagined it deep in space, surrounded by many other doors; all golden, all beautiful. She imagined herself reaching out to that door, key in hand, and without fear she imagined opening it.

She imagined Aquarius. Strong and beautiful and deadly. Aquamarine locks and stern gaze, harsh words and soft heart. All the time they spent together, just Lucy and Mama and Aquarius. She remembered it all.

Her body ached, her magic burnt, but she still pushed on, forcing her hand to meet that door, to unlock that one gate she wanted above all else.

"Open," she began, in almost a whisper, her body's magic being pushed to its limits. She felt like a star, burning and burning and burning, bright and shining yet so very free.

"The Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

Her hand reached that golden door.

The pond erupted, arcs of light and water disturbed as a golden seal formed on the surface. Tired, she let the chaotic spurts soak her body, uncaring. She's done it.

Lucy Heartfilia had summoned Aquarius.

[ _Potency_ has gained a point, your _Potency_ is now **14** ]

[ _Potency_ has gained a point, your _Potency_ is now **15** ]

"Aquarius…" Lucy _laughed,_ because despite the odds she's done it. Even when it should have been impossible, she'd summoned a Golden Key spirit.

"Brat," Aquarius hissed, venomous, sounding more and more like a particularly angry snake then the mermaid she was supposed to be, "what have you done?"

"Ehh?" Lucy blinked owlishly, confused as to why she was so mad.

"What have you _done?_ " In response to the sea queen's anger, the pond began to hiss, steam rising as the water reached boiling point. "Why do you feel so _off_?"

"Off?" Lucy frowned, wondering what she was talking about. "Why would I feel off?"

"You tell me," Leaning forward, Aquarius peered directly into Lucy's eyes, "How did you summon me?"

Lucy cocked her head. Aquarius was a spirit – surely she knew more about the summoning process than she did. The spirit probably knew more than even Bero, and he was _level 78._ Though now that she thought about it, there was something incredibly off about the spirit.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, worried.

The source of her worry was the name plate hovering uncertainly over the Spirits head. Unlike Crux, whose name was a solid golden, Aquarius' seemed to change, flowing through names rapidly.

One moment it read:

 **[Aquarius, level 30, Celestial]**

And then the next…

"Aquarius," eyes firmly planted on the name above, she watched it shift yet again. "Why does your name keep changing?"

That seemed to cut the spirit's tirade short, cutting her off half way through whatever it was she was saying – her Mama always said to smile and nod whenever Aquarius got angry, said it was easier for everyone in the long run – her anger momentarily misplaced in favour of bewilderment.

"My name keeps changing." Aquarius deadpanned, staring at the child as if she was something particularly disturbing that needed to be scraped off her boots. Or fin. Do mermaids even have boots?

"Yup." Lucy nodded, happy that her friend understood. "Your name keeps on jumping from Aquarius, to…"

The young girl squinted, staring at the brand new name in its place.

[ **Ganymede, Level ?, ?]**

"Ganymede." the heiress tasted the unfamiliar name, hoping that she wasn't butchering the name too much. It was the most extraordinary name she'd ever heard – much more than Sawaar and Jude and even her own name.

Aquarius froze, as if struck.

"That name," the normally unflappable spirit whispered, suddenly seeming very far away. "I don't suppose that you can see this name, along with things like _levels._ "

She spat the words out, like they were acid on her tongue.

"Yep." Lucy smiled happily. "It was a bit strange at first, especially when I levelled up for the first time – which was really scary, but it was really good because it let me get that skill that let me summon you – but then I summoned Crux and made Bero happy and start making…"

Aquarius huffed, tired of the spiel. With an elegant flick wrist, water spurted from the pond, splashing the excited girl and stopping her in her tracks.

"Hey!" Lucy spluttered. "That's mean."

"I don't care." Sighing, Aquarius pinched the bridge of her nose, staving off the headache that was sure to come from this conversation. "Shut up, and don't interrupt."

Lucy complied hurriedly. As much as she was happy to see Aquarius, the young girl didn't really want to be splashed any more than she had been.

"I can't believe that I've been reduced to a tutorial…" The Water Bearer trailed off, "if I'm not mistaken, then you've just awakened."

Already sensing the interruption, whatever Lucy was about to ask was cut off by a stern glare, as if asking for a reason to dunk the child underwater.

"I have no idea why you of all people managed it when not even Layla could, and at such a young age to, but you've got the Sight."

"The Sight?" Lucy echoed, perplexed.

For her transgression, Aquarius gleefully fired a wave of water at the defenceless child.

"Yes, the Sight. The ultimate power of a Celestial Mage," Lucy listened with rapt attention, only briefly paying attention to the rapid _pings_ of her wisdom levelling up. "In effect, it changes the way the user perceives the world, and is completely tailored for growth."

"From what little I can remember, it allows for one to completely evolve passed their physical boundaries; you've evidenced it yourself, from being able to summon me." Aquarius preened, combing a hand through her silken locks. "As loathe as I am to admit it, you could probably surpass Layla with the right training."

Now turning her stern gaze to the drenched child, she sighed once more, as if physically pained to be in Lucy's presence. "Only summon me on Wednesday. Any other day and I'll happily drown you."

Water slowly trickled out of her jug, as if daring the child to disagree.

"No," Lucy pouted, stomping her foot. "Tuesday and Wednesday."

A fine eyebrow quirked. The flow turned from a slow trickle, to a heavy cascade, turning the surrounding soil into mud.

Lucy stood her ground.

Aquarius snorted, bemused. "Fine, but don't think I'll be letting you off on this one. You'll be summoning me first thing Tuesday, and we'll be training."

"Fine." Lucy didn't argue with that one, she fully accepted the fact that she needed to train.

"Good." Aquarius stared hard at the child, wondering what sort of problems she'd end up causing. Layla attracted trouble like light attracted moths – if Lucy was anything like her, and coupled in with the Sight…

She could tell that she had a lot of work to do, if she wanted to make her little _Master_ into something strong, but despite her misgivings she couldn't help but look forward to it.

"Hey, wanna play?" Lucy interrupted her thoughts, wide grin on her face.

Aquarius knocked her into the pond, annoyed.

She _definitely_ had a lot of work to do.

* * *

[Quest Complete!]

 **Congratulations! You have created a bond with** _ **Aquarius, the Water Bearer!**_ **Your** _ **Aquarius, the Water Bearer**_ **bond is now level 2***

 **Congratulations! You have earned a new ability '** _ **The Water Bearer's Will',**_ **increasing the rate at which you will gain stat points when in the presence of Aquarius by 50%.**

 **Congratulations! Your Celestial Spirit Magic is level 6.**

* * *

 **Ants**

* * *

After summoning Aquarius, an event that still brought a smile to her face, she was dragged away from the pond by an exasperated Spetto. Once more, she was forced into a dress and paraded in front of the Junelle's.

Bizarrely enough, she found that it wasn't just quests alone that lead to one getting experience, but also physical battles. She had no idea how _ants_ constituted as a battle, but she wasn't going to complain; even if the experience in question was lacklustre.

Okay, so maybe she did find it a little fun to step on the ants; but she'll blame it on trauma from when a particularly brave ant decided to steal her strawberries.

She also, somehow, managed to increase _Sawaar Junelle's_ bond, but Lucy would like to pretend that never happened.

* * *

 **A Seed**

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia was many things. She was smart, and witty, and clever. But, on the flip side, she was also weak and scrawny – in Aquarius' own words she was a 'stick with legs'.

It was what lead her to her current situation, standing outside the warrior's dorms. Lucy felt that she _had_ to get stronger, something deep in her blood urging her to improve upon herself, and it was also a matter of personal pride.

No Heartfilia would have a Strength rating of 1. It just wasn't a _thing._

Impatient, she wrung her hands together. If her Papa found out what she was about to do, he wouldn't be happy; in fact, it was why she chose now to do it. It was one of those days where he locked himself in his private study, working tirelessly over contracts.

Lucy made a mental note to cook something for him later. Her last endeavor was successful, at the very least, with the odd blob making a new home amongst her _Inventory._

She would have to take it for a walk later, let it stretch its legs.

The hard, oaken door stung her knuckles as she once again knocked. If they didn't open the door soon, she'd knock the door down herself, consequences be damned. Maybe _that_ would increase her strength.

She snorted at the thought. If only it was that easy.

"Hey," she called out, incensed, "anyone in there?"

Silence was her only reply.

"Guess like there really is no-one there." Scuffing her shoes on the marble floor, Lucy wondered what she could do now.

The only way she could think of raising her Strength was by using a weapon, and as the guards were the only members of staff actually authorised to have a weapon she thought that it would be the best place to try.

The only other avenue she could go was through her father, and something told her that he wouldn't exactly be co-operative. She was no fool – whilst she did care deeply for her Papa, Lucy knew that the only reason he hadn't taken away Aquarius and Cancer (And now Crux) was because she couldn't exactly summon them before.

With her new, recent ability to summon the spirits, she had no idea what he'd do.

Lucy was suddenly grateful that Bero had promised not to say anything about her current training.

But if he did find out, she didn't know what she would do.

Taking the blob out of her _Inventory,_ she stroked the eldritch abomination, drawn away from her thoughts for now.

"Well, might as well try and improve my cooking…" She laughed, scurrying away from the servant's quarters and towards the kitchens.

If she was lucky, they'd have forgotten all about her previous attempts.

Spoilers, they hadn't, but they still let her try her hand at cooking; so by the time she was escorted out by an annoyed Spetto, her blob had gained a friend and she was one more point towards zero.

* * *

 **Of Manipulation and Lacritape**

* * *

"Spetto, do you need help with anything?" Lucy asked suddenly, placing the book down.

"No, Lady Lucy." The maid in question was busy sweeping the floor, acting as she normally would, though there was something off about her movement. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh," she stared pointedly at the floating golden question mark, the very same question mark that she associated with quests, floating above her head, "Just making sure."

"No need to worry about me, milady, I'm just a servant after all." She smiled, self-deprecating.

Unhappy at the maid's attitude, Lucy mentally nudged the quest marker, watching as the familiar screen burst into existence.

[Quest, _Broken Broom,_ Rank E]

[Details: Fix Spetto's Broom before the end of the day]

[Rewards: +1 Bond with The Staff]

Despite the fact that she had absolutely _no_ idea how to repair a broom, Lucy still accepted the quest, watching the textbox fade into non-existence. Pensive, the young girl deliberated on how to separate the maid from her broom.

"Spetto, can you do me a massive favour?" Lucy beamed, her smile bordering on saccharine.

"Yes?" The maid stopped what she was doing in order to pay full attention to her mistress, even if she felt like she was currently being duped.

"Could you go down to the kitchen and fix up a small snack for my Papa." Downcast, she buried her head in her book (a rather interesting book surprisingly, written by one Makarov Dreyar, a _Fairy Tale_ ). "I'm just worried that he hasn't been eating enough, with all the work he's been doing…"

[Passive Skill: _Manipulation_ has been created!]

[The culmination of Lucy's craftiness, this skill determines your ability to twist others to do what you want. Levels up through deceit. Level 10]

Watching the friendly member of staff go, she couldn't help but feel bad. Lucy may not like manipulating, but this time it was for a good cause, so she supposed it was okay.

The moment the door clicked shut, her hand reached for Crux's Key, and with a small whoosh and a few displaced ornaments she managed to summon the spirit.

Blinking her eyes from the light-show, Lucy set to work explaining the situation. Not amused in the slightest, the elderly spirit warped to the spirit world, grumbling something about abuse whilst the Mage was left in the presence of the broom.

"Hmm…" Lucy hummed, trying her best to spot what was wrong.

The broom looked like, well, a broom. There was nothing unique about it, nothing special – and if there wasn't a quest involving _fixing the broom_ then she would have thought it would be perfectly normal.

Then she applied pressure.

The wooden shaft snapped in two, leaving her in a worse position than before.

"That could have gone better." She muttered.

At least it explained why Spetto was walking so strangely before. The maid must have accidentally broke it, and had to cover the seam with her hands so that the broom didn't fall apart whilst she was using it.

Rummaging through her drawers, she plucked out a roll of Lacritape, already knowing how to fix _this_.

[Passive Skill: _Repair_ has been created!]

[Using her impressive D.I.Y skills, Lucy has managed to gain a grasp on fixing. Levels up with repair work. Level 1]

By the time either of them had returned, she'd fixed the broom, winking at Spetto when she realised that the broom had been fixed.

[Quest Complete!]

 **Congratulations! Your** _ **The Staff**_ **bond has leveled up! Your** _ **The Staff**_ **bond is now level 3!**

* * *

 **Aquarius, Lucy, Layla**

* * *

She was _so_ going to get into trouble for this.

As sneakily as a nine year old could possibly sneak (she made a point of ignoring the textbox announcing the creation of the _Sneaking_ ability), Lucy escaped her room. Making sure to shut the door behind her, she tried to make as little noise as possible whilst she walked. Whilst most of the staff were asleep at this time – it was very late at night – she didn't want to risk them being drawn to her actions.

Her target was the Cemetery.

Every night, she would sneak out of her room to visit her Mama's grave. Sometimes she'd be caught, and sometimes she wouldn't, but if given the opportunity she'd sit underneath the stars, talking to her mother.

A small bag was clasped in her other hand, a small, pink thing, but that didn't mean it wasn't important. Inside, was a pen, a bottle of water, and an envelope.

Lucy shivered, the cool chill of the night air thrumming through her. The large allotment spread far and wide, more space dedicated towards her Mama's statue then the gardens, filled with vivid flowers from all of Fiore. The full moon hung limply in the night sky, luminescent and bold, standing out against a lovely backdrop of stars.

If she squinted, she could pick out Aquarius.

Climbing the stairs one by one, she relaxed. No-one would catch her now – no-one ever came her, especially not at this time.

It was just her, her spirits, and the stars.

Uncapping the water bottle, she once more summoned Aquarius.

"Brat." She scoffed. "Where are we?"

"You…don't know?" Lucy blinked, shocked. "You've never been here before?"

"No." Aquarius ground her teeth.

"This is Layla's memorial." The youngest Heartfilia leaned against the marble monument, peering upward at the statue.

Majestic and proud, the angelic obelisk radiated kindness. Twin pearl wings arched outwards, iridescent under the moonbeams, and a kind smiling face looked down from above. Lucy felt content here.

It was almost like they were all together again.

Whatever arguments were brewing inside Aquarius head came to a halt, the fierce woman now looking more closely at the grave.

They were silent. They sat there in each other's company, the only sound that of each other's breathing and the steady scratch of pen over paper.

"She was strong." Aquarius broke the silence, a wistful smile on her face. "Very, very strong. And kind. And so very beautiful. She saved me."

Lucy paused in her writing, turning her attention towards her strongest spirit. She looked sad, her features downtrodden, and it was the most vulnerable she had ever seen the headstrong servant.

Looking down at the letter, and her sad friend, she made a decision.

"Here," she offered the azure spirit the pen and paper.

The two sat there, until the early hours of the morning, writing underneath the stars. They didn't speak, or fight, or train; they just wrote together, in silence.

When morning came, one letter was left. Tucked amongst the flowers, a particularly strong breeze dislodged the vanilla envelope, sending it off to destinations unknown.

* * *

 _We love you._

* * *

 **Chapter 2, Complete.**

 **O.M.G. Sorry everyone for this being so late - exams were a thing, and I have only recently found time to write. Which is why I'm sad that not much has really happened in this chapter; it's all weird, slice-of-life stuff.**

 **However, things get set up. Aquarius and Lucy talk, we see some strange things going on here - Ganymede, The Sight, what is this madness - and I'm still looking out for prompt ideas. Anything you want to see, tell me and I'll note it down to write.**

 **Next time; Zoldeo, Capricorn, and Canon gets shot down horribly. So yeah, at least there'll be excitement then.**

 **So, thank you all once again for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**


End file.
